Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS here, and asked those eligible for the shot to take it soon to defeat the virus.
He had taken his first jab on March 1 at the hospital.
Tweeting a photo of his vaccination, the Prime Minister said a COVID shot was among the few ways to defeat the virus. PM Modi was seen wearing a face mask this time as he took the shot unlike the previous time.
“Got my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS today. Vaccination is among the few ways we have to defeat the virus. If you are eligible for the vaccine, get your shot soon. Register on CoWin.gov.in,” he tweeted.
Modi has taken Covaxin, India’s homegrown vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Official sources said the two nurses who administered the vaccine to the prime minister on Thursday are P Niveda from Puducherry and Nisha Sharma from Punjab.
Niveda was also involved in administering him the first shot on March 1.
He was the first beneficiary on March 1 as the second phase of nationwide vaccination against coronavirus began.
The prime minister being administered the COVID-19 vaccine will be a big boost to the vaccination drive as there has been a sense of hesitancy by the general public in taking the jab.
India has been expanding its vaccination programme gradually. The country had started inoculations with frontline and healthcare workers, and went on to people above 60 and those over 45 with other illnesses. In the latest round, people above 45 are being vaccinated. So far, over nine crore people have been vaccinated in the country.
A massive surge in infections over the past few weeks saw the biggest-ever daily surge of more than a lakh on Monday. On Wednesday, India reported over 1.15 lakh new cases in 24 hours. The total number of infections is now over 1.28 crore.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)
